The main staircase at the front of the Parliament Buildings leads through the Ceremonial Entrance directly to the Upper Rotunda, also known as the Memorial Rotunda.
In the centre of the octagonal Upper Rotunda is an open circle surrounded by a ring of dark Tennessee marble, looking into the Lower Rotunda below. The walls are lined with two colours of Tennessee marble and the floor is decorated in a fine marble mosaic that serves to complement to these darker shades of marble.
The dome stretches upward to a height of 30.5 metres (100 feet), while the height from the main floor to the top of the figure of Captain Vancouver atop the dome is 39.6 metres (130 feet). The Daily Colonist in 1898 described it as follows: “It gives one an idea of space and dignity and broadness, a fitting entrance to a legislative hall and an inspiration to the members.”
The ceiling of the dome is adorned with four paintings by artist George Southwell. Originally created in 1935 (but not installed until 1952), each of Southwell's paintings represents an industry of historical significance in the economic development of British Columbia: agriculture, fishing, mining, and forestry.
At the south end of the rotunda is a doorway with “golden gates” of lacquered brass. This leads across the Members' Lobby to the entrance of the Legislative Chamber.
The Upper Rotunda is also known as the Memorial Rotunda because it is the site of several war memorials dedicated to British Columbians who gave their lives for Canada. Numerous engravings and plaques honour them:
- 48th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Forces and 3rd Canadian Pioneers (1914-18)
- 88th Regiment Victoria Fusiliers (1914-18) 16th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Forces (Canadian Scottish 1914-18) and 1st Battalion Canadian Scottish Regiment (1939-45)
- 50th Gordon Regiment Highlanders of Canada (1914-18)
- 7th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Forces (1914-18)
- Civil service plaque, to honour the members of the Civil Service of B.C. who gave their lives in World War I and II
- Roll of Honour for B.C. Journalists (1914-18)
- Veterans of the Mackenzie Papineau Battalion, Spanish Civil War (1936-39)
- Canadian Merchant Navy (1914-18, 1939-45, and 1950-53)
- 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles (British Columbia Horse) 1914-18
- Korean War Plaque (1950-53)
- Korean Veterans Association of Canada Memorial Plaque
- Royal Westminster Regiment 1863-1988
- Sword, Naval Officers Association of Vancouver Island to mark their 75th anniversary (May 4, 1965)
